Charges dismissed vs. Phillies' Myers

Judge drops charges at the request of wife Kim Myers

By Ken Mandel / MLB.com

Brett Myers had an abuse charge against him dismissed on Thursday after his wife Kim said she didn't want him prosecuted for a June domestic dispute in Boston.

Myers had been charged with striking Kim in the face during an argument near the team's hotel on June 23, the morning the Phillies were to open a series against the Red Sox. He wasn't required to appear at the previous two hearings.

Despite the objections of prosecutors, Boston Municipal Judge Raymond Dougan dismissed the charges, though he accepted as fact that Myers hit his wife on June 23. Kim Myers agreed to an "accord of satisfaction" showing she did not want the charge pursued, according The Associated Press.

"There's no violence in our family," Kim Myers told the judge. "That night in Boston we had both been drinking. I was not hurt."

Shortly after midnight on June 23, police responded to a 911 call and found Kim crying and with swelling on the left side of her face. According to a police report, a woman accompanying the couple said they fought because he wanted to return to their hotel and she didn't. That witness told police she saw Myers pull his wife toward the hotel, but did not see him strike her.

Other witnesses said they saw the pitcher punch Kim Myers in the face on the street. Courtney Knight, 26, who witnessed the alleged attack, told the Boston Globe after the incident that Myers seemed angry.

"He was dragging her by the hair and slapping her across the face," Knight said in the report. "She was yelling, 'I'm not going to let you do this to me anymore.'"

Police arrested Myers near to scene and charged him with assault. He was later released on $200 bail, posted by his wife.

Myers, 26, was making his first court appearance.

Kim Myers had requested earlier Thursday morning that the charges be dropped, and that was taken under advisement. Brett Myers married Kim Wickman in 2002, and the couple have a 3-year-old daughter and 1-year-old son. They have undergone counseling, and are still together.

Assistant District Attorney Susan Terrey wanted Myers to plead guilty to assault, serve two years of probation, enter a program for spousal abusers and undergo alcohol abuse evaluation, the AP reported. Kim Myers said the counseling has helped the couple and denied other physical abuse.

"This is not something that happens on a daily basis," she said. "Or ever."

Myers set off a maelstrom of controversy when he faced the Red Sox on June 24, less than 36 hours after his arrest. Two days after that, he took a 2 1/2 weeks leave of absence, returning July 14. The right-hander went 7-4 with a 3.96 ERA in 15 starts after returning, and 12-7 with a 3.91 ERA in 31 starts overall.

The Phillies, who took criticism for the way they handled the situation in June -- that letting Myers pitch on Saturday would send a perceived message that the club didn't take domestic abuse seriously enough -- issued a no-comment on the charges being dropped.

"The Phillies will make no comment on the dismissal of the judicial proceedings against Brett Myers [Thursday] except to say that we are pleased that the matter has been resolved by the court," the team said, in a statement. "We will continue to make resources available to assist Brett and Kim Myers.

"As we have stated earlier, the Phillies view the problem of domestic violence as a very serious issue. We are committed to continue consultation with representatives of the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence (PCADV) and others on matters including the training of Phillies front office and player personnel on domestic violence issues and the establishment of domestic violence policies and protocol."

Ken Mandel is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.